Wall-mounted drinking fountain

ABSTRACT

A wall-mounted water fountain having a convex two-dimensional curvilinear surface area of generally parabolic configuration bordered at the ends thereof with raised ridges respectively provided with ports each of which is adapted to have a valvecontrolled stream of water discharge therefrom. The trajectory of the water streams issuing from the ports causes them to impinge upon the upper section of the curvilinear surface which carries the water downwardly and through a drain opening located along the lower section of the surface and into a receiver disposed within the hollow interior of the fountain. Substantially all the functional components of the fountain are concealed within the hollow interior thereof so as to minimize the likelihood of vandalism and general misuse of the fountain.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Allen C. Wright Morugl, Calif.

[21] Appl. No. 57,461

[22] Filed July 23, 1970 [45] Patented Dec. 28, 1971 [73] Assignee Haws Drinking Fountain Company Berkeley, Calif.

[54] WALL-MOUNTED DRINKING FOUNTAIN 12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl. 239/29, 239/31 [51] Int. Cl E031: 9/20 501 Field of Search 239129, 24, 28, 31, 32

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,578,047 12/1951 Corey 239128 2,623,367 12/1952 Morrison 239/29 X 2,756,470 7/l956 Sawchuk 239/29 X FOREIGN PATENTS 496,030 11/1938 Great Britain 239/28 735,238 8/1955 Great Britain 239/28 Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant ExaminerThomas C. Culp, Jr. Att0mey.loseph B. Gardner ABSTRACT: A wall-mounted water fountain having a convex two-dimensional curvilinear surface area of generally parabolic configuration bordered at the ends thereof with raised ridges respectively provided with ports each of which is adapted to have a valve-controlled stream of water discharge therefrom. The trajectory of the water streams issuing from the ports causes them to impinge upon the upper section of the curvilinear surface which carries the water downwardly and through a drain opening located along the lower section of the surface and into a receiver disposed within the hollow interior of the fountain. Substantially all the functional components of the fountain are concealed within the hollow interior thereof so as to minimize the likelihood of vandalism and general misuse of the fountain.

Patented Dec. 28, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR A LLEN C WRIGHT FIG. 2

Patented Dec. 28, 1971 3,630,445

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ALLEN C. WRIGHT TTORNE Y WALL-MOUNTED DRINKING FOUNTAIN This invention relates to a water fountain and, more particularly, to a wall mounted drinking fountain of the type used in locations generally available to the public.

Water fountains and other machines and devices located in areas open to the general public are subject to damage, both intentional and unintentional, from vandalism and misuse especially when children constitute a segment of the public to which such devices are available. Although intentional destruction of such apparatus is difficult to prevent, the likelihood of damage thereto can be considerably minimized by making the same as tamperproof as practicable so that the possibility of misuse, disassembly, and convenient availability of the working parts are all minimized. In view thereof, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved drinking fountain in which these damage-minimizing features are present.

Further objects, among others, of the invention are to provide an improved wall mounted drinking fountain that is substantially tamperproof with the valves, nozzle structures, waste receiver, conduits, and substantially all of the other functional components and elements thereof concealed and therefore generally inaccessible and unavailable except to authorized personnel; that is easy to install and service by such personnel; that is structurally simple and esthetically pleasing; and that utilizes the surface phenomenona" of liquids, and. especially forces of adhesion defined between dissimilar materials, to carry overflow or excess water issuing from the nozzle structure of the fountain through a drain openings and into a receiver located within the hollow interior of the convex curvilinear head of the fountain.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention, especially as concerns particular features and characteristics thereof, will become evident as the specification proceeds to a detailed description of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drinking fountain embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view in elevation of the drinking fountain illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 is a detailed sectional view of the valve-controlled nozzle taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

The drinking fountain illustrated in the drawings is a wall mountable fountain, and it is shown in FIG. I and 3 in association with a vertical room wall generally denoted for purposes of identification with the numeral 10. As respects the present invention, the wall 10 may be completely conventional, and the typifying wall illustrated includes a surface panel 11 which may be formed of wall board, plywood, plaster and lathing, or any other suitable material; and the wall further includes studs 12 that extend generally between the floor and ceiling of the associated room and provide the structural components to which the surface paneling 11 is secured.

The fountain is denoted in its entirety with the numeral 14, and it is adapted to be secured to the wall 10 in any convenient and conventional manner as, for example by means of upper and lower fasteners 15 and 16, respectively, which may take the form of nut-equipped studs or screws extending into the wall 10 and, in particular, into certain of the studs 12 comprised thereby. In the case of the upper fasteners 15, they are concealed within the hollow interior 17 of the fountain and, therefore, take the form of hangers the heads of which are spaced from the outer surface of the wall panel 11 so that the inwardly turned flange 18 of the fountain can slip therebetween and seat the shanks of the fasteners 15 in slots 19 provided for this purpose in the flange 18. In the case of the fasteners 16, they extend through openings provided for this purpose in a downwardly turned flange 20 disposed in a coplanar relation with the flange 18 and adapted to abut the outer surface of the wall panel 11, as shown in FIG. 1 and 3. Any suitable number of fasteners 15 and 16 may be provided, and in the particular fountain 14 being considered, a total of four such fasteners are used two longitudinally spaced upper fasteners and two longitudinally spaced lower fasteners (the latter being illustrated in FIG. 2).

The hollow interior 17 of the fountain 14 is defined at least in part by a receiver or collector component that may be referred to as a hollow head 21 which has a substantially continuous curvilinear surface area of convex configuration which, in the particular form shown, is generally parabolic in cross section, as is seen best in FIG. 3. The convex surface area of the head 21 provides an upper section 22 that curves generally outwardly and downwardly and merges with a lower section'24 that curves inwardly and downwardly. The lower section 23 has an outlet or drain opening 24 provided therealong formed by a downwardly offset wall section 25 that may depart from the curvilinear configuration of the surface 23 and assume a generally planar configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 3 The wall section 25 at its lower inner end merges into and is turned laterally to form the aforementioned flange 20, and analogously, the upper surface portion 22 at its inner end merges with and is turned downwardly and inwardly to form the aforementioned upper flange 18.

'The wall section 25 has a rather sharp or pronounced downward and inward inclination so as to cause water received on the upper inner surface thereof to flow by gravity into a receiver 26 for waste water mounted, at least in part, within the hollow interior 17 of the head 21 so as to be substantially concealed thereby. The receiver 26 may be formed integrally with the fountain 14 or it may be a separate component, as shown in FIG. 3, and it is intended to be connected to waste as through a waste or drain conduit 27. The receiver 26 could be located entirely within the hollow interior 17 of the head and connected to the drain conduit 27 by suitable fittings, but in the form shown the receiver extends through an opening provided therefor in the panel 11 of the wall 10 and projects partly into the interior 17 of the head.

Since the receiver 26 is a separate component in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, it is secured to the wall 10 independently of the fountain as by means of screw-type fasteners 28 that extend through openings provided therefor in an upwardly extending flange or lip 29 provided by the receiver, and ideally the fasteners are located so as to project into the aforementioned studs 12 of the wall. Usually, it will be advantageous to place a screen or strainer 30' across the mouth of the receiver 26 to prevent debris which might be inserted through the drain opening 24 and nozzle openings 36 from entering the drain conduit 20 from which it would be difficult to remove and could cause interruptionof the free flow of waste water therethrough.

The particular form of the fountain 14 shown in the drawings is open along the rear thereof so that the outer surface of the wall panel 11 faces the hollow interior 17 of the fountain head 21 and provides the rear closure therefor. As a result, the receiver 26 extends substantially from end to end of the fountain 14, and at least approximates the length of the drain opening 24 which, as seen in FIG. 2, is an elongated longitudinally extending slot that is substantially the same length as the convex head 21. The receiver 26 can be related to the fountain 14 in any suitable manner to prevent leakage of waste water about the junction therebetween, and in the form shown, the fountain has a slight channel or recess 30 extending along the bottom wall section 25 and along the upwardly extending sidewalls 31 and 32 into which the forwardly projecting bottom and vertical edge portions of the receiver seat,

as shown in FIG. 3. Plumber's putty or other sealing material may be used in association with the recess 30, if desired, to make certain that no water leakage occurs therealong.

It will be appreciated that the bottom wall section 25 of the fountain 14 can be configurated so as to channel all of the waste water entering the discharge opening 24 toward a receiver of much smaller longitudinal dimension than the receiver 26 illustrated. In such case, the receiver would only need to be slightly larger than the conduit 27 and would generally take the form of the usual drain or waste receiver found in conventional water fountain bowls. The receiver 26 may be connected to the conduit 27 by a screw thread interengagement therebetween, as shown, and suitable supports may be included to confine the screen or strainer 30 in the general position illustrated so that it spans the month of the receiver.

The convex surface 21 has a curvilinear configuration along two coordinate Cartesian axes (the usual X and Y axes) and is flat straight along the third or Z axis which is normal to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 3 and parallel to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 2. As heretofore stated, the surface 21 is elongated longitudinally so that the sidewalls 31 and 32 are spaced apart by a considerable distance, and they also project outwardly beyond the dimensional limits of the surface 21 and are turned laterally thereat and then inwardly so as to merge with the surface 21 and define raised or outwardly projecting ribs or ridges 34 and 35 that serve as stops or barriers preventing water along the surface 21 from spreading in longitudinal direction beyond the ridges which therefore serve to confine the water and direct it into the drain opening 24, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3. Along their upper outer extremities, the ridges 34 and 35 project a substantial distance beyond the downwardly and outwardly inclined upper section 22 of the curvilinear surface 21 and respectively provide water discharge opening or ports therealong, one of which is shown in the drawing and is designated with the numeral 36.

As seen best in FIG. 4, each of the ridges 34 and 35 is hollow and is provided therein with nozzle structure 37 oriented to direct a stream of water upwardly and outwardly through the associated discharge opening 36 so that the trajectory of the stream causes it to impinge onto the upper section 22 of the convex surface 21, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The nozzle 37 is connected to a branch supply tube or conduit 38 via a control valve 39 controlling the flow of water from the branch supply conduit to the nozzle. The value assembly 39 is tightly secured to the side wall 31 by any suitable means, such as the threaded casing and nut arrangement illustrated which are conventional. The side wall 31 is provided with an inset wall portion 40 through which the value casing projects and that defines a recess or well 41 seating the control button 42 of the valve therein.

Standard pressure fittings may be used to connect the nozzle 37 and branch conduit 38 to the valve assembly 39, as shown, and the branch conduit is connected by means of a standard T-connector 44 to a supply conduit 45 located within the hollow interior of the wall and which delivers water under pressure to the connector 44 via a fitting assembly 46 extending through an opening provided in the panel 11 of the wall 10. As previously indicated, a similar valve, branch conduit, nozzle, and discharge opening are provided in association with the ridge 35, and in FIG. 1 the side wall 32 is shown to have a recess or well 47 therealong in which the control button 48 of the associated valve assembly is seated.

In use of the fountain 14, it can be equipped before shipment with the nozzle structure 37, control valve 39 therefor, and branch conduits 38 leading from the respective valves 39 to the connector '1 44, the latter of which may also be preconnected. Accordingly, to install the fountain it is only necessary to secure the connector T 44 to the fitting assembly 46 of the supply conduit 45 prior to mounting the fountain along the wall 10. It will be appreciated that the branch conduit 38 may be flexible, either being formed of flexible copper tubing or a plastic tubing such as polyethylene, so that the branch conduit may be made sufficiently long to facilitate interconnection of the coupling 44 with the assembly 46. After such connection of the water supply system, the fountain 14 is placed against the wall panel 11 and moved downwardly to insert the shanks of the fasteners through the slots 19 in the flange 18, sufficient looseness being afforded so as to permit the lower edge portion of the fountain to be swung inwardly to seat the edge ,portion of the receiver 26 within the recess 30 provided therefor. The fasteners 16 are then placed in position and tightened so as to securely attach the fountain to the wall l0.

In use of the fountain, either or both of the control buttons 42 and 48 of the respectively associated control valve assemblies can be depressed to effect discharge of a stream of water through the respectively associated nozzles 37 and discharge openings 36, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The stream of water discharging from the nozzle is oriented upwardly and inwardly toward the center of the fountain intermediate the ridges 34 and 35 thereof, and the water stream falls downwardly onto the upper section 22 of the curvilinear surface 21 and flows downwardly therealong and inwardly through the drain opening 24 and onto the upper inner surface of the wall 25 and finally into the receiver 26 concealed in part within the hollow interior 17 of the fountain and in part within the interior of the wall 10. The water follows the contour of the convex head or surface 21 thereof because of the forces of adhesion defined between the outer surface of the head and the water flowing therealong, and which forces continue to be sufficiently great to exceed the forces of gravity tending to pull the water downwardly from the lower section 23 of the convex surface until the water has travelled inwardly through the drain opening 24 and into overlying relation with the inner surface of the fountain wall 25.

In this respect, the primary forces operative upon any water droplet falling onto the upper section 22 of the surface 21 are the forces of cohesion resulting in the surface tension generally causing the droplet to assume the smallest surface area possible for a given volume (namely, spherical), the forces of adhesion causing the droplet to cling to the surface 21, and the gravitational force acting downwardly on the droplet and thereby tending to dislodge the same from the surface especially adjacent the drain opening 24. In the case of the fountain 14, the section 23 terminates at the drain opening 24 in overlying relation with the inner surface of the wall 25. Thereby defining the maximum extent of the surface to which the water droplets can adhere. It has been found that the described functioning of the fountain is enhanced by providing an outer surface along the convex head 21 that is somewhat hydrophilic as, for example, by coating the surface with a flat paint or by anodizing the same.

Substantially all of the functional components of the fountain 14 are concealed within the hollow interior 17 thereof and are inaccessible to persons using the fountain, thereby minimizing the likelihood of damage through misuse and of vandalism. At the same time, the fountain is esthetically pleasing, having essentially no protuberances interrupting the uniform curvilinear lines thereof. Moreover, it is convenient to use simply requiring one or the other of the control valve buttons 42 or 48 to be depressed to cause a stream of water to discharge upwardly and outwardly through the port 36 associated with the valve being manipulated. Further, since there are no projections adjacent the nozzle ports 63 impacttype injury to the teeth and mouth of persons using the fountain is minimized. Any water that may escape from the nozzles 37 into the interior of the fountain simply flows downwardly into the receiver 26.

The fountain 14 can be made from any appropriate and conventional materials including plastics, metals, porcelain, etc., and it can be made in any length desired so as to assure adequate spacing between the two discharge ports 36 in a case ofa dual fountain, as illustrated in the drawings. A single fountain can be provided in which only one valve-controlled nozzle is included; and in such case, a pair of ridges 34 and 35 would not necessarily be required for purposes of confining the water impinging upon the surface 21 and directing it into the drain opening 24, provided that the longitudinal dimension of the fountain were sufficiently long relative to the force of the water discharge and path traversed thereby so that such water discharge would not spread over the unrestricted edge of the surface 21.

While in the forgoing specification an embodiment of the invention has been set forth in considerable detail for purposes of making a complete disclosure thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A drinking fountain or the like, comprising a longitudinally extending hollow head having a substantially continuous two-dimensional curvilinear surface area of convex configuration providing an upper section curving outwardly and downwardly, a receiver for waste water positioned at least in part within said head so as to be substantially concealed thereby, said head having a water discharge opening associated with the upper section of said surface area and a water outlet opening in the lower section thereof communicating with said receiver to deliver waste water thereto, nozzle structure located within the hollow interior of said head and oriented to direct water upwardly and outwardly through said discharge opening to impinge onto the upper section of said convex surface, and valve structure controlling the discharge of water from said nozzle structure.

2. The drinking fountain of claim 1 in which said head is curvilinear along two normally disposed coordinate axes and is substantially colinear with the third normally disposed coordinate axis defining the longitudinal direction of said head.

3. The drinking fountain of claim 2 in which said curvilinear surface is generally parabolic in cross section, and in which said fountain terminates in a plane along the rear thereof to enable it to be wall mounted.

4. The drinking fountain of claim 1, and further comprising a raised ridge extending along said curvilinear surface area adjacent one transverse end thereof to prevent escape therealong of waste water spreading over said curvilinear surface area.

5. The drinking fountain of claim 4 in which said ridge is provided along the upper section of said curvilinear surface area with the aforesaid water discharge opening through which water is directed by said nozzle structure.

6. The drinking fountain of claim 4 in which said curvilinear surface is elongated in the longitudinal direction, and in which a pair of such raised ridges are provided along the respective transverse ends of said curvilinear surfaces area to confine waste water thereto.

7. The drinking fountain of claim 4 in which said head is curvilinear along two normally disposed coordinate axes and is substantially colinear with the third normally disposed coordinate axis defining the longitudinal direction of said head.

8. The drinking fountain of claim 7 in which said curvilinear surface is elongated in the longitudinal direction, and in which a pair of such raised ridges are provided along the respective transverse ends of said curvilinear surface area to confine waste water thereto.

9. The drinking fountain of claim 8 in which said curvilinear surface is generally parabolic in cross section, and in which said fountain terminates in a plain along the rear thereof to enable it to be wall mounted.

10. The drinking fountain of claim 9 in which a pair of the aforesaid water discharge openings are provided in respective association with said ridges along the upper section of said curvilinear surface area, and in which a pair of the aforesaid nozzle and valve structures are provided in respective association with said water discharge openings.

11. The drinking fountain of claim 8 in which said water outlet opening is a longitudinally elongated slot extending substantially from one ridge to the other.

12. The drinking fountain of claim 11 in which the lower section of said curvilinear surface area terminates adjacent said water outlet opening in a generally planar wall portion sloping downwardly into said receiver so as carry waste water thereinto. 

1. A drinking fountain or the like, comprising a longitudinally extending hollow head having a substantially continuous twodimensional curvilinear surface area of convex configuration providing an upper section curving outwardly and downwardly, a receiver for waste water positioned at least in part within said head so as to be substantially concealed thereby, said head having a water discharge opening associated with the upper section of said surface area and a water outlet opening in the lower section thereof communicating with said receiver to deliver waste water thereto, nozzle structure located within the hollow interior of said head and oriented to direct water upwardly and outwardly through said discharge opening to impinge onto the upper section of said convex surface, and valve structure controlling the discharge of water from said nozzle structure.
 2. The drinking fountain of claim 1 in which said head is curvilinear along two normally disposed coordinate axes and is substantially colinear with the third normally disposed coordinate axis defining the longitudinal direction of said head.
 3. The drinking fountain of claim 2 in which said curvilinear surface is generally parabolic in cross section, and in which said fountain terminates in a plane along the rear thereof to enable it to be wall mounted.
 4. The drinking fountain of claim 1, and further comprising a raised ridge extending along said curvilinear surface area adjacent one transverse end thereof to prevent escape therealong of waste water spreading over said curvilinear surface area.
 5. The drinking fountain of claim 4 in which said ridge is provided along the upper section of said curvilinear surface area with the aforesaid water discharge opening through which water is directed by said nozzle structure.
 6. The drinking fountain of claim 4 in which said curvilinear surface is elongated in the longitudinal direction, and in which a pair of such raised ridges are provided along the respective transverse ends of said curvilinear surface area to confine waste water thereto.
 7. The drinking fountain of claim 4 in which said head is curvilinear along two normally disposed coordinate axes and is substantially colinear with the third normally disposed coordinate axis defining the longitudinal direction of said head.
 8. The drinking fountain of claim 7 in which said curvilinear surface is elongated in the longitudinal direction, and in which a pair of such raised ridges are provided along the respective transverse ends of said curvilinear surface area to confine waste water thereto.
 9. The drinking fountain of claim 8 in which said curvilinear surface is generally parabolic in cross section, and in which said fountain terminates in a plain along the rear thereof to enable it to be wall mounted.
 10. The drinking fountain of claim 9 in which a pair of the aforesaid water discharge openings are provided in respective association with said ridges along the upper section of said curvilinear surface area, and in which a pair of the aforesaid nozzle and valve structures are provided in respective association with said water discharge openings.
 11. The drinking fountain of claim 8 in which said water outlet opening is a longitudinally elongated slot extending substantially from one ridge to the other.
 12. The drinking fountain of claim 11 in which the lower section of said curvilinear surface area terminates adjacent said water outlet opening in a generally planar wall portion sloping downwardly into said receiver so as carry waste water thereinto. 